


Revenge

by itabitaboo



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-11
Updated: 2012-10-11
Packaged: 2018-01-17 22:49:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1405456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itabitaboo/pseuds/itabitaboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A questionable mission ends in a surprising conclusion for all. As a result of Sasuke questioning how much he can trust Naruto, Naruto questions how much he can trust Shikamaru. All the while, Godaime is questioning how much she can trust any of them to complete this mission properly. Who will prove their trustworthiness and who will fall short?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shikamaru

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own many, many things. Naruto is not one of them though.
> 
> Universe: Naruto-verse (as in shinobi). Canon divergence.
> 
> General Warnings:  
> —Mild same-sex intimacy (male - male)  
> —Out of character Sasuke, which is intentional.  
> —Coarse language for sure. Also, implied violence.  
> —SPOILER ALERT! If you aren't current up to chapter 142 in the manga or episode 82 in the anime, don't read. Also, something from chapter 259 in the manga is revealed. I cannot for the life of me figure out which episode that is in the anime.
> 
> Author Note: All my author notes will be at the bottom of the page. Any links I use for this fic can be found at the bottom of their respective chapters.

"Alright," Tsunade began, "let me explain your mission."

"Uhh..."

Tsunade rubbed her forehead in irritation. "Yes, Naruto?"

"Where's Kakashi-sensei? Also, where's Sakura-chan? Also, what's Shikamaru doing here? Also, where's the rest of his team?"

Tsunade interrupted Naruto before he could spit out the next question. "Let me talk and I'll explain everything, Naruto."

Naruto nodded.

"There have been rumors of Akatsuki going around."

Sasuke tensed.

"I'm sending you after a member according to information I've recently received." Tsunade shot Sasuke a cautionary glance. "I'm sending you after Uchiha Itachi." She hastily lifted a silencing finger before Naruto could begin his outburst and commanded, "Quiet."

Naruto obliged.

"And you..." She turned her attention solely to Sasuke. "I'm putting a lot of faith in you, Sasuke. He is to be brought back  _alive_."

Sasuke's jaw was tensely clenched, but he nodded in understanding.

Satisfied, Tsunade turned her attention to regard the other boys again. "I've been told that he'll be at a secret hideout just off of the Crooked River. It's about five miles north of the village Randu. He should arrive there in the next four to five days. That gives you just enough time to intercept him before he has too long to rest."

"But Akatsuki only travel in pairs, Godaime," Shikamaru pointed out. "Wouldn't it be smarter to send Kakashi-sensei and Sakura with Naruto and Sasuke, then my team as backup? Even if you did send me with them, we would be better off with a medical ninja and it's too dangerous to face two Akatsuki alone."

"True, Shikamaru," Tsunade conceded. "However, he and his partner were attacked yesterday. Itachi was injured while his partner was killed. Itachi managed to kill his attackers and escape with his life, but he's weak and vulnerable right now. I can't afford to send anyone else. We're too short on resources right now. I need every ninja we can deploy doing missions. Kakashi is out on a mission as we speak and your team only just returned from one. They don't have the strength. I'm only sending you, Shikamaru, for your trustworthiness and planning skills. I know you'll bring Itachi back alive. These two," Tsunade gestured lazily to Sasuke and Naruto. "—I can't be as sure of. I hope you're not too exhausted from your mission to comply."

"I'm not," Shikamaru responded confidently.

"Good. As for Sakura, she must stay as well," Tsunade added. "You three should be able to get it done. In his current state, Itachi should be no problem."

"Excuse me, Godaime," Sasuke began, "but Itachi isn't one to be taken lightly. He'll regain health during his stay here in Konoha and, surely, he won't be able to be contained once he has. He doesn't need much to use his Sharingan. Questioning will go roughly and information will be difficult to obtain, granted he doesn't escape soon after capture."

"I know, Sasuke," Tsunade assured. "I'm well aware of Itachi's power. However, we have ways of suppressing chakra. The Hyuuga clan have offered their services. Once he's brought to Konoha, he won't escape."

Sasuke nodded.

Tsunade then turned her attention to Naruto. "You better keep your cool, Naruto. He's to be brought in alive," she reiterated emphatically.

"But—"

"Alive, Naruto," Tsunade repeated. " _Alive!_ " She took a moment to sear the information into his brain with a glare before asking, "Do you three understand your mission?"

They all nodded, but Naruto had to add an unsatisfactory sigh at the end.

"Alright." Tsunade spared one last cautionary glance for Sasuke. "You're dismissed."

All three boys turned to leave, Naruto automatically beginning to mutter something to a half-engaged Sasuke.

"Shikamaru," Tsunade hailed before the brunet could exit with his companions. "A word?"

Shika nodded and called after Sasuke and Naruto, "We're leaving in an hour. Be at the gates."

"Who said you're in charge, huh?" Naruto defied.

"Shikamaru's the captain of your team for now," Tsunade mandated.

Naruto groaned and rolled his eyes. Not that he disliked Shika or anything. He just didn't like being ordered around by someone his own age, especially one of his friends. It just made him feel like he was trailing behind, but he wanted to be the one at the front of the pack all the time.

"Fine," Naruto grumbled. "An hour."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blond's dramatics and pushed him across the threshold splitting office from hall. He turned and closed the doors, nodding respectfully to Tsunade as he disappeared from sight.

Tsunade and Shika locked eyes.

"Alright, Shika," Tsunade began. "I'm entrusting a lot to you."

"I know."

"Just keep em out of trouble," Tsunade counseled. "Sasuke will be tempted to go too far and you can't let him. Naruto too. To protect Sasuke, he'll do anything. Sending those two on  _this_ mission may be a mistake, but I have faith that you can do this, Shikamaru. You're the only one among your peers who can come up with a plan to capture Itachi that won't end up with his death."

Shika nodded confidently, further assuring Tsunade that he was the man for the task.

"One more thing," Tsunade went on. She pulled a file from underneath a few papers and handed it across her desk. "This is composed of everything we know about that hideout. It's apparently one that Akatsuki only recently began using. According to my source, the only people to ever use it have been Itachi and his partner. I suppose I don't need to tell you to read it over thoroughly." She paused to smile ever so slightly at the young man. "I'll meet you at the gates," she said in closing.

**AN HOUR LATER**

"With your gear check complete, you have everything you need," Tsunade declared.

Shikamaru finished looking over the file for the last time before closing it and handing it back to Tsunade. She nodded at him as she received it and then stepped back. The boys looked to her for final approval, ready to spring off into the trees. Her professional face never waned. And why should it? She had faith in this team. But a part of her inside did fracture with doubt and concern. She let it stay buried though and nodded to release the boys.

"Good luck."

"We won't fail," Sasuke's promised.

"Definitely not!" Naruto added excitedly. "Let's go! Team… uh… whatever we are. MOVE OUT!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Don't forget who's in charge, Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto groaned. "Shika…?"

Shika smiled slightly. "Yeah, move out."

With that, the trio was off in a flurry.

  **TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Itachi

"Okay," Shika whispered. He looked carefully through the brush to see a tall, dark-haired man wrapped in a black cloak with red clouds walking toward them. "You guys know the plan?"

Naruto nodded and Shika looked to his other side at Sasuke. They shared a knowing look and Sasuke nodded, too.

"Alright, then. Move out."

Shika moved into position behind a tree near where he had just been hidden; Naruto moved to stealthily hide himself behind the log cabin; and Sasuke readied himself to face his brother.

Through the midst of a heavily wooded area cut a small path, down which Itachi now walked, that wound north to south. Where Itachi walked away from ran the Crooked River from east to west. Following it west would eventually lead a waterfall, the cliff of which would curve and run eastward past even the hideout sitting a couple miles down river from the waterfall. Itachi was heading north toward the log cabin that was the Akatsuki hideout now.

Sasuke took a deep breath as Itachi stepped past Sasuke into position. It was important that Sasuke stop him at a certain time in order to coincide with Shikamaru's plan. Sasuke took the breath to steady his nerves. He wasn't nervous about facing Itachi. He was nervous that he might kill him and take revenge for the things Itachi had done. The breath made its way through his system while Sasuke watched Itachi's back move away from him as it had done so many painful years ago. Sasuke stepped out of the bush and into the middle of the path.

Itachi stopped but did not turn.

"Itachi," Sasuke said plainly.

Itachi laughed emotionlessly. "Sasuke."

"I don't expect you to come with me willingly but I have orders to capture you and bring you back to Konoha."

"I bet you do." Itachi turned to face Sasuke. "I should just go along with you. That  _is_  exactly where I would find what I'm seeking."

Sasuke stared blankly, though he was wondering what Itachi could mean in his head.

"Although," Itachi continued, looking lazily over his shoulder toward the cabin before returning his gaze to Sasuke's face, "you seem to have brought that right to me, haven't you?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He was confused, but he had no desire to waste time asking questions.

"Curious, aren't we?" Itachi taunted. "There's no need to question me about my motives considering Akatsuki's plans are nearly complete. All we need is one more thing. We need only one last pawn to collect, that nine-tails boy. I do believe you know him, Sasuke, don't you?"

"What do you want with Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.

"Oh, no. We don't want  _Naruto_. We only want his tails," Itachi clarified. "That's all. You can have him back once we extract them, but I should warn you that he'll be… hm…  _different_."

"What do you mean  _different_?"

 _Sasuke_ , Shikamaru was groaning in his head,  _this isn't the time. Just a few more steps backward and I've got him!_

"Are you really that stupid, Sasuke?" Itachi asked.

"Shut up!" Sasuke commanded. "I'm done playing games." He took notice of the lack of restriction in Itachi's movements and deduced that he had stopped him just a bit too short. He began to take a few threatening steps forward, hoping to motivate Itachi to move backward but Itachi's next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Death isn't a game, Sasuke. Is it? You should know."

Sasuke stared at Itachi. What could he mean by that?

"You'll know even better soon enough," Itachi assured. "That  _is_  what your friend will be when we're done with him, dead. Dead like the rest of the useless jinchuuriki we've caught."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Whatever Akatsuki was planning involved killing Naruto, and the fact that Naruto was now right under their noses was even worse.

 _Shit,_  Sasuke thought in a sudden realization.  _That's what he meant. I brought Naruto right to him._

"I don't know what you mean," Sasuke lied. "I haven't brought you anything but my own seething hatred."

"Don't be stupid. Your hatred means nothing to me." Itachi waved his hand dismissively. "You're telling me it's  _not_  the nine-tails hiding over there behind that cottage then?"

Sasuke's heart raced but he kept his face unmoved.

 _Fuck,_  both Naruto and Shikamaru thought to themselves.

Naruto was debating whether or not he should just reveal himself and whether or not that would still fit with the plan while Shika was praying for Sasuke to move Itachi into position.

Itachi took a step backward. "Don't be scared, little brother."

Sasuke's fear was turning to anger.

"I won't hurt you."

Sasuke's blood was boiling as Itachi took another step backward.

"I'll let you live but only to let you watch as I kill that pathetic boy."

Sasuke's hand gripped his katana tightly.

"Attack me," Itachi taunted with another step backward.

 _Come on_ , Shika thought in anticipation.

"I dare you," Itachi goaded. "It's what you've been dying to do ever since I killed everything you ever loved, isn't it?"

Sasuke threw a kunai at lightning speed at Itachi then, mainly to serve as a distraction as he closed in for the kill. It wasn't part of the plan, but Sasuke could stand this bastard's existence no longer. He was better off dead anyway. To his surprise, though, Itachi didn't move. Sasuke was snapped out of his rage when he heard Shikamaru yell and saw Itachi point toward a tree, mimicking Shika's movement to show Sasuke where he was.

"SASUKE! OW!"

"What?"

"He's under my jutsu!" Shikamaru yelled.

Sasuke looked back at Itachi to see a satisfied smirk cross his face. "You knew?"

Suddenly, Shika wailed with pain and fell face-forward into the path in a heap.

"Shika!" Naruto yelled with concern. There was no point in staying hidden anyway now that Itachi knew where he was. He stepped out from behind the cottage but kept his distance. He had no idea what to do with the plan now.

"What did you do?" Sasuke demanded.

"All I need is a finger to use my jutsu," Itachi said arrogantly. "It's his fault for making me point at him. He won't be up for a long time though, so let's not worry about him. Instead, let's worry about your precious friend."

Sasuke lunged at Itachi, but the elder quickly dodged and punched Sasuke in the face. He then turned to advance on Naruto.

"Naruto, run!" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto was frozen with confusion though. Why in the world would he run?

"RUN!"

"What?" Naruto exclaimed before falling to his knees in agony. He heard Itachi's maniacal laughter before blacking out.

When Naruto came to he found himself in chains. He knew exactly where he was and why he was there. It was part of the plan. It must be back on track. He was chained to a wall beside the cottage that overlooked the drop-off of the cliff. There were chains binding both of his wrists and his neck. These were special chakra draining chains. Anyone chained to them would be unable to use any jutsu. He looked to his right to see Shika chained next to him, already awake. This surprised Naruto. This wasn't part of the plan. Everyone was looking intently at Naruto. Sasuke was standing before Naruto and Itachi was just off to the side.

The plan was for Sasuke to stop Itachi so that Shikamaru could bind him with his Shadow Jutsu. Once bound, Shikamaru would simply walk him over to the chains and have him lock himself in. These chains and their abilities were noted in the file given to Shika. If that plan failed, then Sasuke was to drive Itachi back toward the chains and Naruto would emerge at the last moment to help secure Itachi. That was why Naruto was placed behind the cottage so close to the wall. If that failed, then Naruto was to allow himself to be chained to the wall. Shikamaru knew it was a gamble letting their strongest asset be rendered useless but he also knew that Itachi would be well aware of Naruto's abilities and, in his vulnerable state, would definitely chain Naruto the wall if the chance arose. It would make escaping easier. He hadn't known, however, that Itachi was after Naruto to begin with.

Nonetheless, that would give Sasuke and Shika a chance to take him off guard or at least get him closer to the chains. The main objective was simple. Get Itachi in the chains so that his Sharingan Jutsu would be useless. Then, do whatever it took to knock him out long enough to return him to Konoha. Shika had made many concessions to the plan to account for anything that could happen but he hadn't made any plans for this. For what Naruto knew, Shika had severely underestimated the power of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan. Shika was never supposed to be caught in these chains and Sasuke wasn't supposed to be looking so beat up.

Naruto was in a panic when he shouted at Sasuke, "The plan!"

"I know," Sasuke said.

Naruto wasn't sure why, but it sounded so cryptic when Sasuke said it. He didn't understand why Sasuke wasn't doing anything.

"You know," Shikamaru started saying, "it'd be real easy for you to kill him now. Just let  _us_  go."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru in surprise. "What?" he exclaimed indignantly.

"You can even keep Naruto. Just let  _me_  go."

"WHAT?"

"I'm not that stupid, kid," Itachi said, waving a dismissive hand in his direction. "You're not going anywhere. Plus, I promised Sasuke that he could watch his friend die."

"SHIKAMARU! YOU..." Naruto started shouting, but he was too astonishment to find actual words. The anger of betrayal was welled inside him simultaneously. He would never betray his friend's this way and he simply couldn't believe that Shika would.

"If you have any mercy left in your heart," Shika continued, ignoring Naruto, "you'd just kill Sasuke now."

Itachi looked questioningly at Shika, apparently intrigued.

"You once loved him… didn't you?"

Itachi's eyes slit into a glare. "Do you know why I killed my clan? To measure my power. I never loved Sasuke. I tolerated him."

"Then why did you let him live?" Shika questioned.

"It'd be fun to let him thirst for revenge and seek me later on," Itachi said nonchalantly. "It'd make an interesting fight."

"I think you couldn't bring yourself to kill him," Shikamaru disagreed. "You loved him and that made you too weak."

Itachi held a glare on Shikamaru's face.

But Shikamaru continued. "Well, he's clearly not strong enough."

"SHIKA!" Naruto shouted.

"He's failed."

"SHIKA!" Naruto bellowed louder. He was so angry that he thought the emotion would choke him.

"Don't let him live such a pitiful life. If you're strong enough to kill him, that is."

Naruto made an angry and unintelligible sound as he reached to punch Shikamaru in the face. The anger allowed him to break the chain binding him from the wall but his other restraints kept him from connecting his punch. The chain clanged loudly as Naruto flung his arm wildly, trying to grab Shika. "You bastard!" he was shouting. Shika's eyes were wide with surprise.

"Shut up!" Itachi growled at Naruto. "It seems I'll have to knock you out."

Naruto paid no attention to Itachi. He kept a murderous glare trained on Shikamaru but stopped his movements. He was building up concentration to try and break his other arm free.

Little did Naruto know, Shika had a plan of his own that he was setting into motion. He ignored his friend's menacing glare to continue taunting Itachi. "Sasuke doesn't even deserve another minute of his life. It's pitiful. Kill him, if you can. Push him over that cliff. It would be so easy, if you had the—"

"Shut up!" Itachi demanded and, for a moment, he displayed real emotion before wiping his face clean of it. Shikamaru had successfully gotten into his head. "It  _would_  be troublesome to have him on my conscience any longer. I should have simply killed him when I had the chance. Fine, then." Itachi rolled his eyes as if he was bored. "Down you go." He kicked Sasuke's legs out from under him swiftly.

Naruto's breath caught in his throat at the sight. "SHIKA!" he growled loudly. "NO!" he screamed as he lunged for Sasuke.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Layout of the land:  
> i169.photobucket.com/albums/u226/RainbowsWorthRain/Fic-Related/RevengeInterceptionSpot_zpsf5266a58.png


	3. Sasuke

Sasuke's feet flew out from under him and slipped over the edge of the cliff. He doubled over quick to claw at the grass and keep from falling. Naruto sprung forward immediately but was abruptly stopped by the chain around his neck. He strained hard against his restraints as he reached frantically out for Sasuke, whispering Sasuke's name in panic. His fingernails just barely scraped at Sasuke's knuckles, motivating him to strain against his binds even further. Sasuke removed one hand from its grip in the grass to grab Naruto's and, consequently, relied all of his body weight on that grip. Naruto immediately began to wheeze with the new weight. His windpipe was being crushed, but he would be damned if he let Sasuke go.

Sasuke was overwhelmed by Naruto's intent to save him, but this wasn't worth it. Not at all.

"Let me go," Sasuke hollered, loud enough to be heard over one of Naruto's coughs.

Naruto's eyes widened as tears streamed down his cheeks. "NO!" he managed to scream. His wheezes grew deeper and farther apart as he neared the edge of consciousness. He tried to reach his other hand out to grab for Sasuke too, except it was still bound firmly to the wall. He needed to do  _something_  though.

Sasuke brought his other trembling hand to rest on Naruto's and gently stroked it with his thumb, an action far more tender then he was used to employing, especially with Naruto. The situation called for some finesse though. He looked Naruto in the eyes and simply held the man's gaze, allowing the affection that'd always been unspoken yet was undoubtable in this moment flow between them. He loosened his grip while Naruto tightened his own.

"You'll die if you don't, Naruto," Sasuke said calmly. "Let me go."

"NO! NO! NO!" Naruto shouted. "I WON'T!"

"Please," Sasuke begged quietly.

"I CAN'T, SASUKE! I CAN'T!" Naruto wheezed deeply and hastily yelled, "I LOVE YOU!"

There was no time to assess Sasuke's reaction because Naruto immediately began to sputter unintelligably as he fought to keep breathing efficiently enough to stay conscious. His lids grew heavier and his fingers began to numb.

 _No_ , he cried in his head.  _Don't you dare let him go._

Naruto didn't care if Sasuke had anything to say in return. All he wanted to do was hoist Sasuke back up on to stable land and keep him for another day. But if he couldn't, then he wanted Sasuke, who'd never felt love in almost all his years of life, to die with those words running through his mind. If Naruto was gonna let him go, which he was absolutely not going to do, then he wanted Sasuke to feel true love before he did. Naruto wanted to give Sasuke something that no one else could give him. He wanted Sasuke to know.

He could feel his fingers slowly slipping from Sasuke's. Sasuke continued to rub them gently, as if he wasn't about to plunge to his death. He remained inexplicably calm, even though he was literally slipping through Naruto's fingers and moments away from total demise.

Sasuke murmured so quietly and Naruto's ears were throbbing so loudly that Naruto could neither detect the pain nor the quiver in Sasuke's voice as he spoke his final words. In fact, Naruto couldn't hear Sasuke speak at all, but his eyes were locked with deadly determination on Sasuke's face, furiously clinging to the man before him. He hoped desperately for consciousness to at least stay with him til the end. He didn't have to hear Sasuke, though, because he could feel the words Sasuke spoke as they poured out of his eyes like a waterfall. He could see it in the movement of Sasuke's lips and he could sense it in the unwaveringly gentle caress of his pale thumb. Sasuke was returning his "I love you", and Naruto could feel it washing over him like a wave of warmth. It was comforting and reassuring, but Naruto wasn't ready to let go. He couldn't.

Just as Sasuke's face began to blur away, Naruto felt one last tender stroke bless his skin before it was mere grass that he gripped. As if the god's were playing some sort of sick game, Naruto's neck chains ripped free of the wall just as Sasuke slipped away and Naruto's head fell heavily into the grass. Everything was blurred for a long moment before Naruto effortlessly ripped his other arm free and scrambled quickly to the edge of the cliff. He peered over it in despair. Perhaps, Sasuke had caught a ledge or something…  _anything_.

He could feel his body returning slowly to equilibrium as his lungs took greedy but shallow gasps of air, spreading the much needed oxygen to his organs with new resolve. He wasn't aware of the tears falling from his eyes or the commotion behind him that rendered Itachi unconscious. He was far too engrossed in the gaping pit that took residence in his chest.

There were no ledges.

There was no Sasuke.

There was nothing.

There was only Naruto… alone.

He thought about following Sasuke. It would be too easy. It was too tempting. Before he could decide his immediate fate, he heard Shika's voice call to him through the haze of agony.

"WHAT?" Naruto shouted. He turned his head just enough to catch Shika in a sideways glare full of hatred.

"Naruto, I—" Shika began. He was far too unmoved for what had just happened.

"Look what you've done," Naruto interrupted him. His voice was so low and bestial that it caused Shika's complacent expression to wrinkle into uncertainty.

"Naruto, that was—"

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, finishing Shika's sentence. "It was Sasuke!"

Painfully aware of how the chasm in his chest ached as he spoke the name, he whimpered, "Sasuke." Breaking his angry glare, he choked out, "Our companion. My… My…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Shika moved to close the small gap comprised of a mere few feet between them but was stopped by Naruto's threat.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! I  _WILL_  KILL YOU!"

Shika froze in fear.

Naruto slowly buried his face in the ground as he grabbed handfuls of earth and sobbed heavily into the ground. A muffled scream—or maybe it was accurate to call it a wail—caused Shika to gulp hard. He'd never seen Naruto like this before.

Naruto was walking in darkness, slowly drifting away from the world. He paused a moment when he thought that he heard a familiar voice speak his name.

 _No,_  he thought to himself. But he swore he heard it again.

 _I'm going crazy,_  he thought.  _Crazy with despair._

He continued into the darkness, but he heard it once more and his breath hitched in his throat as he felt a light touch on his arm. The darkness slowly receded. He kept his face buried but listened intently.

"It's okay. I'm here," he heard the soft, familiar voice say.

He whipped his head up and stared in disbelief.

 _Definitely gone insane_.

He was  _sure_  that he was hallucinating. The face above him offered a warm, uneasy smile and the fingers lightly touching his arm moved gently in an obvious attempt at comfort. Naruto sucked in a deep, sharp breath. This wasn't a hallucination. This was real. Sasuke was really standing above him and smiling like an idiot, as if he didn't just fall off of a cliff and  _die._  Naruto could not believe his eyes and Sasuke felt the confusion pouring out of him.

"It was just a shadow clone, Naruto," Sasuke said, offering reassurance.

A deeper confusion washed over Naruto's face.

"I just couldn't… I didn't tell you for the sake of the mission. That's all," Sasuke explained.

"That's  _all_?" Naruto repeated angrily. "The mission? And what about the sake of  _me_ , Sasuke!?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to form a defense but Naruto's eyes slit into a harsh glare and he punched Sasuke in the chest before the man had a chance to speak. Sasuke fell backward onto his ass and clutched the spot where he'd been hit as he gasped for air. "Fuck! Naruto," he breathed.

Naruto wasted no time in jumping at Sasuke. He landed, straddling Sasuke's legs. He didn't hesitate to ponder their new and questionable position. He abruptly began to swing madly at Sasuke as Sasuke shouted random fragments of Naruto's name in surprise. Naruto wasn't swinging to injure all that badly. He was really just releasing his suffocating emotions. He shouted obscenities at Sasuke as he released his rage, aiming to leave Sasuke with some bruises to stew over and regret.

Finally, Sasuke had enough and caught one of Naruto's wrists. That was enough to urge Naruto to stop the attack. Naruto's head was hanging too low for Sasuke to see his face through his disheveled hair, so Sasuke reached his free hand up to Naruto's tear-soaked cheek to try to shift his companion's face into view. As soon as Sasuke made contact, though, Naruto began hitting him again with his free hand. Sasuke promptly removed his hand from Naruto's face and caught the assaulting arm by the wrist too.

Naruto didn't even put up a fight. He allowed Sasuke to restrain his wrists and, instead, just slumped down and dropped his forehead onto Sasuke's chest. Try as he might to be strong and avoid them, he couldn't help how his body softly shook with choked sobs. Sasuke released Naruto's wrists and the blond's hands just fell to the ground before shifting to tightly clutch the sides of Sasuke's shirt.

Feeling uncomfortable in many ways for many reasons, Sasuke gingerly cradled Naruto's head. When there was no protest or any indication that he might be doing something wrong, he emboldened enough to stroke Naruto's hair lightly in an attempt at comfort.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered repeatedly. "Naruto, I'm really sorry."

When Naruto's breathing finally came back to normal, he sat upright to look down at Sasuke. For a long moment, his face was blank and Sasuke looked like a deer caught in headlights. But then his face crumpled into a grimace. He wasn't alright. He wasn't stable. There was no use in pretending he was, right? Sasuke had just seen him weep like a child. How much more embarrassed could he be?

Sasuke's face crumpled into a grimace of equal pain too. "I'm sorry," he said once more, clearly regretting having caused Naruto such torture.

"I don't know what I woulda..." Naruto paused, unsure of whether he should finish the statement.

In the end, he removed himself from Sasuke's lap and, after a long moment of staring at the ground, moved to stand.

Sasuke shot up from his reclined position and grabbed Naruto by the jacket, stopping him.

Naruto swatted Sasuke's hand away swiftly before warning him, "Don't touch me. Don't talk to me. Don't do anything that involves me." He didn't look at Sasuke as he spoke. He simply stood up and walked away.

 _How could he?_ Naruto thought in his head as he wiped a stray tear from his cheek.  _I'll get him for this._

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. Naruto

Naruto threw a rock into the slowly flowing river and watched as it skipped twice across the surface. He watched the ripples move outward and eventually disappear before throwing another, scowling.

 _Fuck Sasuke_ , he thought to himself.  _Fuck him for doing that_.

Naruto had retreated from Sasuke and Shikamaru's company in favor of solidarity to give himself time to think, but he could feel the two boys' eyes boring into the back of his head. They'd been watching him for the better half of an hour now. It wasn't easy for Naruto to ignore either. Sasuke was just standing over there watching as Naruto endured serious mental torture. He was taking it easy while Naruto's mind was raging.

Naruto growled angrily as he threw another rock, which plopped beneath the river's surface without skipping even once.

_Fuck you, Sasuke. Fuck. You._

Naruto was only sure of one thing right now. He wanted to get a good bit of revenge on Sasuke. But how? What could he do? What would measure up to almost losing someone... so...

Ah~ A sinister smile crossed Naruto's face as he threw another rock that failed to skip.

**[ / . ~ . ~ . ~ . \ ]**

"You can't just sit here and watch him forever," Shikamaru pointed out.

"Yeah, I know."

"So..." Shikamaru paused to look from Naruto to Sasuke. "Go talk to him then."

Sasuke let an annoyed groan slip out. "It's not that simple."

"So, you'd rather watch him like a hawk instead? Some difference that'll make," Shika said sarcastically.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to face Shikamaru. "What do you propose?"

"I already told you! Talk to him." Shikamaru had grown tired of watching the stalemate. Both Naruto and Sasuke were clearly too proud to approach the other, but it was obvious to Shika what they needed to do. "Just kiss and get it over with."

Sasuke's face turned into a mixture of shock, offense, and anxiety. "Wh-What? I just... I don't..."

"Please," Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes. "I was there, Sasuke." He shrugged a shoulder to ease the tension.

Sasuke was clearly not open to the idea of a gay relationship with his best friend and teammate. Perhaps throwing it out in the open like that wasn't Shika's best idea. Although, Naruto and Sasuke had really taken care of that themselves in their previous battle with Itachi.

"It's cool." Shikamaru offered a reassuring smile. "Probably shouldn't advertise it though."

Sasuke wasn't sure how he felt, but Shika's acceptance of whatever it was made him feel inexplicably better. Maybe he  _should_  just approach Naruto, kiss, and get it over with. The idea made his stomach whirl, but it also felt right. It felt like it was long overdue.

Sasuke pursed his lips in contemplation. "What the hell am I supposed to say?"

"Pffft," Shikamaru snorted, "hell if I know. I have no experience in that department. I guess you just wing it. Say whatever's on your mind, but if Naruto is gonna be the chick in this relationship, you better start with an apology. Chicks always have to be right. That much I  _do_ know."

Sasuke felt like shooting Shikamaru a warning glare for entertaining that idea so blatantly, but he didn't. It wasn't like it was avoidable. Shika  _had_  been there and he  _had_  seen the whole thing. There was no hiding anything anymore. Naruto and Sasuke were going to have to lay it all out in the open and Shika would witness it, whether they wanted him to or not. There was no sense in reprimanding Shika now for simply pointing out the obvious. Shika's statement was funny too. Naruto... the girl. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.

"He's definitely the girl. An apology it is," Sasuke decided.

He and Shika shared a final smirk before turning their attention back to the river.

"The fuck? Where is he?"

"I don't know," Shika answered as he turned around to look behind them.

"Over there," Sasuke said, pointing at Naruto, who was walking toward the cliff edge, the wall, and where they had Itachi temporarily chained.

Tsunade had given Shikamaru a poison-filled syringe to immobilize Itachi for a week. He gave the poison to Sasuke, who snuck up behind Itachi and administered it while Itachi was distracted by Naruto's emotional outbreak. That was the part of the plan that Shikamaru and Sasuke thought best to leave Naruto out of. They hadn't planned to ever have to resort to that part, but Itachi had proven to be a formidable opponent and they had no choice but to use it as a last resort. Itachi had put Sasuke under an illusion to chain up Shikamaru and Naruto. However, he had underestimated Sasuke's own sharingan and Sasuke managed to create a shadow clone and hide himself in the brush out of view while Itachi was busied.

Sasuke, then, used his clone to battle Itachi, but Sasuke became painfully aware of the gap in strength between them quickly. Eventually, Sasuke couldn't keep up and had to find a better distraction that wouldn't result in his clone jutsu being revealed before he would have a chance to sneak up behind Itachi. So he positioned himself closer to Naruto and Shika to release the jutsu on them. Shika woke up only moments before Naruto and caught on immediately. He taunted Itachi, hoping to distract him enough to allow the real Sasuke to sneak up behind him. Neither Shika nor Sasuke expected Naruto to react the way that he did. However, he'd inadvertently created a sufficient enough distraction for Sasuke to pounce on Itachi unnoticed. With the poison Tsunade had given them, Itachi wouldn't be waking up until well after his arrival in Konoha, but they chained him to the wall for extra precautions as they rested before their journey back home.

Naruto was now headed right for Itachi, and Sasuke wasn't sure he liked that. He called out to Naruto as he and Shika both hurried after the blond. They didn't want to wait and see exactly what Naruto wanted with Itachi. They slowed their pace, however, when Naruto walked right past Itachi. Both Sasuke and Shikamaru came to a stop once they were only a few paces behind Naruto, who now stood at the edge of the cliff.

"He's snapped," Shika said incredulously. "Naruto... Don't... Um... Don't jump off the cliff or anything." Shika's voice was uncertain. He really wasn't sure what Naruto was doing. But if he really was attempting suicide, Shika had no clue how to stop him. He wasn't good with people like that.

Naruto turned to face the boys behind him, allowing his heels to hang dangerously over the edge, but offered no explanation.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked breathlessly.

Naruto still offered no response. Instead, he tilted his head to the side, as if questioning Sasuke's response.

"Naruto," Sasuke began as he took a step toward the blond, "just... don't."

Sasuke closed the gap between them with a few quick steps as Naruto began to slowly tilt his weight backwards. If it hadn't been for Shikamaru grabbing him by the back of his shirt to support his weight, Sasuke would've fallen over the edge himself. His fingers just barely swept across the fabric of Naruto's shirt as he fell out of Sasuke's reach. Emotionless blue eyes met with desperate onyx before disappearing in a poof. Sasuke's breath caught in his throat, partly relieved and partly bewildered. Shikamaru pulled Sasuke back to stand squarely on solid ground before dragging him a few feet away from the edge.

Once the tugging at the back of his shirt stopped, Sasuke heard a familiar voice speak quietly into his ear from behind.

"It was just a shadow clone. I guess I forgot to mention that very, _very_  important detail to you."

There was a tense pause that, when finally interrupted, filled with words full of venom.

" _That's all._ "

"Damn. I'll just leave you two to work this out in private." Sasuke heard Shikamaru's footsteps retreat.

It, apparently, wasn't Shikamaru standing behind him. He wasn't sure how to react. Part of him wanted to burst out with anger but coherent thoughts were escaping him. The only thing he could think was that Naruto had just pulled one over on him and that it was reasonable too.

 _I have no right to be angry_ , Sasuke thought to himself. "I deserved that," he admitted.

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. He'd expected something else completely.

Naruto had done this for two reasons. 1) He wanted revenge on Sasuke. He wanted to make Sasuke feel as terrible as Sasuke had made him feel. 2) He wanted justification for how he felt. Sasuke had lain Naruto out like an open book. Naruto had  _confessed love_  for Sasuke not even an hour ago. There was no mistaking what Naruto had said or how he felt, but Sasuke was still such a gamble. Sasuke had certainly returned Naruto's ''I love you'' with one of his own, but that was just a clone. Although, clones are exact replicas of the original. They think, feel, and act as the original would. If his clone had said it, he'd meant it. It couldn't have been a fluke. If anything, it was a lie.

Of course Sasuke could be so calm and collected in a situation like this, because Sasuke knew exactly how Naruto felt. Naruto had screamed it at the top of his lungs, but Naruto still wasn't sure about Sasuke. Naruto was conflicted and questioning and terrified of what might happen. Naruto wanted Sasuke to be emotional too. He wanted Sasuke to fall to his knees in despair for Naruto as Naruto had done for him. Naruto wanted Sasuke to prove that it was all real. He wanted Sasuke to prove that his clone wasn't lying. He wanted Sasuke to show him what Naruto had shown Sasuke... love.

Before either man could really analyze what was happening, Sasuke was facing Naruto and acting on instinct. He glided a pale hand into place on Naruto's cheek.

Anger welled up in Naruto's chest.

 _Fuck you, Sasuke_.

Sasuke's other hand found itself grasping onto Naruto's shirt at the waist and pulling their bodies closer until their noses just touched.

_Fuck you, Sasuke._

He was touching Naruto so tenderly, and Naruto had no idea how to interpret it.

Sasuke could feel the anger seething from Naruto as it slowly mixed with anticipation. He could sense Naruto's uncertainty and fear of this new development between them, but he was also desperately fighting his urge to pursue it.

 _ _And for what_?_  Sasuke wondered.  _Some petty grudge he's holding against me for thinking about the success of the mission?_

Sasuke wanted to be angry with Naruto for being angry with him, but he couldn't. He could only focus on the undying urge to kiss the other. His breath brushed over Naruto's defiantly pursed lips.

Naruto was far too upset to indulge in Sasuke right now, though his insides were wrenching into a nervous wreck. He forced himself to keep an unwavering glare trained on Sasuke's eyes anyway. Sasuke was looking at Naruto with such warmth. His eyes were so soft and inviting. They were glistening with adoration and absolutely infuriating. Naruto wasn't one hundred percent confident that he should be so angry, but he wasn't sure what else to do so he cursed Sasuke once again in his mind.

_Fuck you._

"I won't make you do anything that you don't want to," Sasuke said quietly.

He allowed a few inches to fall between their faces as he rubbed Naruto's cheek longingly. He wanted to kiss him very badly, but he didn't want it to feel like this. Naruto was so tense with anger. If Naruto hadn't been so focused on his bruised ego, he would have recognized that Sasuke was giving him exactly what he wanted. Sasuke was very blatantly offering a clear reciprocation of Naruto's feelings. He would have seen Sasuke's actions for exactly what they were, obvious advances. If Naruto had gotten out of his head and into what was really happening right before his face, he wouldn't have lead Sasuke to interpret his actions, or lack thereof, as rejection.

 _Shit_ , Naruto cursed in his head upon realizing his mistakes.

Sasuke removed his hand from Naruto's face and began turning to retreat from the awful situation.

 _Clearly_ , Sasuke thought,  _Naruto didn't know what the fuck he was saying. I shouldn't have advanced like that_.

Sasuke only stopped his retreat when Naruto caught him by the wrist. He turned his face to regard Naruto, whose head was bent and gaze cast to the ground. Sasuke stared in silent wonder.

After a long pause, Naruto took in a deep breath.

 _This is what you want,_  he reassured himself.

He pulled Sasuke's hand back up toward its rightful place on his cheek but stopped suddenly only centimeters away. Sasuke's fingers were just barely touching Naruto's skin and Sasuke tried to move his hand the rest of the way on his own, but Naruto tightened his grip to stop him. Sasuke could feel Naruto warring with himself and it pained Sasuke deeply.

The situation had grown troublesome. Sasuke was sure of how he felt and he was sure that he made it very obvious to Naruto, thinking Naruto had made his feelings very obvious as well, but now Sasuke wasn't so sure. He was clueless and he wasn't fond of the feeling. It was rare that Sasuke wasn't in control of a situation, but Naruto had him dangling on a string right now.

First, Naruto loved him.

Then, Naruto was pitting some stupid revenge on him and completely rejecting his advances.

Next, Naruto was stopping him from leaving and making Sasuke touch him just how he'd, clearly, not wanted to be touched only a minute ago.

Then, he was stopping Sasuke from doing what he was just  _making_  Sasuke do.

All the while, Naruto was questioning himself savagely in his head.

_What are you doing?_  
 _Don't let him walk away._  
 _This is what you want, remember?  
_ _But how can I be sure this is what he wants?_

_Don't be stupid._  
He wants this too.  
It's obvious, dumbass!

 _Yeah! That's it._  
Just put his hand back.  
That'll send the right signal.

 _WAIT!_  
Am I ready for this?  
I mean, really?  
This could change everything.  
EVERYTHING!

_I can't do this.  
I can't do it._

"The fuck are you getting at, Naruto?" Sasuke asked. He tried to keep his tone in check because he didn't want Naruto to see just how much this game of "will he or won't he" was torturing him. The result was an awkward twist on frustration. The words came out a bit harsher than intended, sounding angry but meek at the same time.

 _But I love him_ , Naruto finally reasoned and released Sasuke's hand from his grip to allow Sasuke to do with it as he pleased. He recognized that he'd put Sasuke in a tough position with his confusing actions. He wanted Sasuke to advance only if he still truly wanted to. Sasuke's next move would decide everything.

Sasuke hesitated for a short moment about whether he should make that last move or not. He didn't want to encourage Naruto's confusing game. However, he was sure that Naruto wasn't capable of playing such malicious games. Naruto wasn't purposely toying with his emotions. He was definitely just confused and scared. Sasuke didn't want to pressure Naruto either though. Sasuke was scared too. He decided that the best thing he could do was share that information. There was nothing left to ponder. He'd pondered these feelings long enough. There was no need for hesitation, as if he didn't already know exactly what to do. He loved Naruto, and it would be scary but worth it. He finished placing his hand gently against Naruto's cheek. He turned his body back to face Naruto but decided to keep a safe distance for now.

"I'm scared too y'know," Sasuke said before he lost his nerve. "I really do care for you, Naruto. I care for you a lot. I care for you as more than just my teammate or my friend. I care for you in ways that keep me up at night wondering what you're doing, what you're thinking, and if you're thinking of me. I care for you in ways that scare me senseless." This new emotional territory was nerve-wrecking. Sasuke had never been so loose with his feelings like this, but it felt relieving to finally share this with Naruto.

Naruto kept his face angled down but wrapped him arms loosely around Sasuke's waist, pulling the raven back against his body.

Sasuke gasped. He wasn't sure if that was the best idea since they were both so clearly conflicted. Temptation wasn't going to help them figure things out, but he wrapped an arm around Naruto in mindless response anyway.

"Naruto, I..." Sasuke began to protest, "I..." He just couldn't get the words to come out. Any useful thoughts wouldn't form in his mind. He kept finishing the sentence in his head with I... want to kiss you or I... love you, but he knew he was supposed to be saying something like I... don't think we should be so hasty.

Naruto offered Sasuke a reprieve, though, and Sasuke was thankful.

"Shut up." The words were harsh and commanding but they were spoken so gently. "You had your confession. Now it's my turn to talk." Naruto lifted his face to lock his eyes with Sasuke as he spoke. "And we both know how terrible I am with words so..." Naruto opted to finish his sentence with a kiss. He leaned in and met Sasuke's lips with his own.

A surge of raw emotion was so compelling that Sasuke had to force himself to pull away. He tried to whisper another weak protest, but Naruto interrupted him with another kiss, which was executed with more haste than the last as desire built up between the pair.

Sasuke tried to force himself to break the kiss once again, but the message got mixed up somewhere in his brain and he ended up tilting his head to deepen the embrace, prompting Naruto to react with even more fervor. Sasuke tried to make one last plea against Naruto's lips in the form of Naruto's name, but it was left unheeded and Sasuke decided to give up. Naruto's intentions were clear with the way his lips moved against Sasuke's. Why should Sasuke question that?

Their kiss was passion at its finest and Sasuke felt an angry growl erupt from his chest when it was interrupted by Shikamaru's presence. He turned his face to Shika, but Naruto kept his eyes on Sasuke. The blond was blatantly unaware of how awkward the situation had just become.

"Uh... hate to... uh... interrupt but... we really have to go."

Sasuke blushed deeply as he fought to be released from Naruto's arms. "Y-Y-Yeah. G-Go. Let's do that." When Naruto finally released him with a mischievous grin, Sasuke landed his typical Uchiha glare on the man.

Naruto didn't care how awkward Sasuke or Shikamaru felt though. He was perfectly happy with the situation. They had completed their mission, even if Sasuke had done it in such a dirty way. They hadn't killed Itachi. Most importantly, though, they had addressed the elephant that had been sitting in the room for god knows how long. Not even Shikamaru's uninvited interruption of a very personal and passionate moment could bring him down from his high. If anything, Sasuke's reaction only served to amuse Naruto.

Naruto sighed contentedly. "Yeah, guys. Let's go home then."

Sasuke's glare was softened by Naruto's infectious attitude. He was really quite happy himself.

"Hey, I'm cool. Remember?" Shikamaru said to Sasuke as he suppressed a nervous laugh. He  _was_  cool with the idea. He wasn't sure he was too cool with walking in on moments like that, but he was only trying to remind Sasuke that he was accepting and that there was no need to feel too awkward. Shika was still unsure of how well Sasuke would handle the whole "gay with my best friend" situation though, and that made Shika nervous.

Sasuke hardened his glare and moved it to rest on Shika. "Shut up. Let's go."

Clearly, it remained a touchy subject, but Shikamaru couldn't miss the grin that split Sasuke's face in two. In fact, he was beaming so brightly that the whole world couldn't miss it. Suddenly, that typical Uchiha glare held no weight. Sasuke walked with almost a skip to his step and his lips wouldn't release that smile. He was the farthest thing from intimidating right now. He was like a different person altogether and it was a nice change of pace to replace that Uchiha glare with an honest smile.

**THE END**


End file.
